Guitar variety packs that are smart buys

You save cash buying these and at the same time discover new tones, so it's a win-win situation all around.

Picks and strings. Every guitar player buys these things. The problem is that when you want to try something different, money is wasted buying too much of something you may not like - unless you get a variety pack.

Variety packs are good buys for three reasons. First, they cost much less than buying each product individually. Second, even if you don't like everything in the pack, you'll at least find something you do like. Third, you may find something good enough to switch over to and then you can spend a little more on just that one thing.

Where strings are concerned, Ernie Ball is one of the few that does offer variety packs. They call theirs a Tone Pack, and from that link you will see they offer this in both electric and acoustic versions.

Now to be clear, the Ernie Ball Tone Pack is not the same set of strings 3 times like what D'Addario offers. What you get is three different sets from the same brand. For example, in the 9-42 size Tone Pack set, you get a Super Slinky, Cobalt and M-Steel set. Three sets, same gauge. Each set has a different tone character and feel.

I do wish more guitar string companies would do this, because it's an excellent way to try out what the brand offers.

Where picks are concerned, there are several that offer variety packs, but this is one of the better ones:

What I like best about this particular Dunlop variety pack is that it's not just one pick shape in one material using different thicknesses. With this pack you get picks in different shapes, sizes and materials. Included in the pack is delrin material (Tortex), delrex material (GatorGrip), round tip, pointed tip, plain grip, textured grip and more.

For as cheap (and it truly is cheap) as this pack sells for, you get a lot of different choices here, and that's the whole point of getting a variety pack. You want variety, and this pick pack delivers.

Lastly I'll say again that concerning string companies, more of them really need to start offering variety packs. Every string brand I know of offers different models of strings that are distinctively different from each other both in tonal character and feel. Offering 3-pack variety sets is just a really good idea. I'm glad at least Ernie Ball does it.

Published 2020 Mar 24